BLOOD CELL FORMATION
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
The connective tissue is a vital part of the skeletal system. Without it, none of the bones would stay together and function as a skeleton. Connective tissue is the part of the body that support and hold together the other parts of the body (such as muscles, organs, and bones). Ligaments are connective tissues that connect bones to one another and are located at your joints. Tendons are a type of connective tissue that connects your muscles to your bones. Tendons can stretch and move more easily, but can get stretched too far and tear or rupture.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF JOINTS
Our bones are not directly touching each other, but they do move together. How? Well, they are able to move by joints. There are 6 different types of joints in the human body and they all have a different way of moving. Your knees and elbows are a type of hinge joint, bending in only one direction. Your wrists and ankles have much more movement because of the saddle type joint. Without these joints, the body would not be able to move.
HEALING A BROKEN BONE
A broken bone is usually diagnosed with an x-ray. The bone has to be set correctly so the healing process repairs the bone properly. How does the body repair a bone? There are 3 phases to the healing process: 1) When a bone breaks, your body has to stop the internal bleeding by sending a signal for your blood vessels to constrict and a blood clot forms at the site of the break. this is the foundation for the repair or "construction site" of the broken bone. Then, cells move to the site of the break to form a type of connective tissue that will convert and repair the blood clots. 2) Within a few days, the periosteum begins to grow by forming osteoblasts that make new bone. The new bone continues to grow and eventually fills the gap at the break. New blood vessels have also grown through the bone and provided blood supply to the injured bone and new growth. Finally, spongy bone replaces the new bone. 3) Finally, the osteoclasts reabsorb the spongy bone and osteoblasts replace it with compact bone, returning the bone’s strength.
CARTILAGE
Cartilage is softer than bone, but harder than muscle. Cartilage cells secrete the protein collagen. Collagen helps in the formation of a dense web structure. It is extremely strong, but is elastic. Cartilage is found in your ears and nose, between the bones of your ribs and spine, in the joints of your arms and legs, and it protects your bones from rubbing against each other in the joints, causing pain and damage to the bone. Cartilage is the only tissue in your body that does not have blood vessels. Because of its lack of blood, cartilage is one of the slowest tissues to grow and heal.
OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis is a disease as a result of not enough of calcium and mineral stored in the bones. It results in a weak bone structure and results in many fractures of the bones, from small fractures, to complete breaks. It also weakens the skeletal system and maintaining an upright position becomes impossible, and as a result, affects the function of the internal organs. When someone with osteoporosis can not stand up straight, their lungs become compromised and it becomes harder for them to breathe.